[ This press release is also available on the Internet at:
http://www.gnu.org/press/2001-10-22-Emacs.html
]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Free Software Foundation
Bradley M. Kuhn <pr(a)gnu.org>
Phone: +1-617-542-5942
FSF Announces Version 21 of the GNU Emacs Editing Environment
Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Monday, October 22, 2001 - The Free Software
Foundation announced today the 21.1 release of GNU Emacs. Emacs is a Free
Software multilingual text editor, licensed under the GNU General Public
License (GNU GPL).
Richard Stallman said, "Emacs 21 is a big step forward in our long-term
plan to take Emacs from a programmable text editor to a programmable word
processor."
Emacs 21.1 includes support for proportional fonts: characters in a line
can be of variable width and lines can have variable heights. It also
supports including images in text. Emacs 21.1 adds a number of new
user-interface features: it has tool bars for executing frequently used
commands, it supports native scroll bars, it displays tool tips, and it
has a mouse-sensitive mode line. Even on text-only terminals, Emacs 21.1
supports colors and other display attributes.
With the release of version 21.1, the Emacs development sources are
accessible via anonymous CVS from http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/emacs/.
The anonymous CVS services are provided by Savannah, GNU's
SourceForge-like system for project collaboration.
GNU Emacs 21.1 can be downloaded from the FTP directory at
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/. However, users are encouraged to use mirror
sites for downloads, to decrease the load on GNU and FSF servers. A list
of mirrors can be found at http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html.
GNU Emacs 21.1 has already been packaged for Debian. Users of Debian
GNU/Linux's unstable branch can install GNU Emacs 21 via the native Debian
APT system.
About GNU Emacs:
Emacs is the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time
display editor.
If this seems to be a bit of a mouthful, an easier explanation is
Emacs is a text editor and more. At its core is an interpreter for
Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions
to support text editing.
Some of the features of GNU Emacs include:
* Content-sensitive major modes for a wide variety of file types, from
plain text to source code to HTML files.
* Complete online documentation, including a tutorial for new users.
* Highly extensible through the Emacs Lisp language.
* Support for many languages and their scripts, including all the
European "Latin" scripts, Russian, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean,
Thai, Vietnamese, Lao, Ethiopian, and some Indian scripts.
* Many extensions for jobs such as reading and sending mail, reading
net news, calendar, and diary. More Emacs extensions are distributed
separately--even a web browser.
History of Emacs:
Richard Stallman developed the original Emacs text editor in 1975 while
working at MIT. Emacs, first developed in 1975, is an extensible text
editor that allows the user to program editing commands. The original
Emacs used TECO as the user programming language. GNU Emacs, which uses
Lisp as the user programming language, was started in September 1984 as
part of developing the GNU operating system.
Emacs has undergone continuous development since that time, and has been
approved based on user bug reports and contributions from the Free
Software community. Emacs 19 added support for multiple frames using the
X Windowing System. Emacs 20 added multi-lingual support.
About GNU:
GNU is a Free Software Unix-like operating system. Development of GNU
began in 1984. http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html gives
more information about GNU and its history.
GNU/Linux is the integrated combination of the GNU operating system with
the kernel, Linux, written by Linus Torvalds in 1991. The various
versions of GNU/Linux have an estimated 20 million users.
Some people call the GNU/Linux system "Linux", but this misnomer leads to
confusion (people cannot tell whether you mean the whole system or the
kernel, one part), and spreads an inaccurate picture of how, when and
where the system was developed. Making a consistent distinction between
GNU/Linux, the whole operating system, and Linux, the kernel, is the best
way to clear up the confusion. See
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for more explanation.
For immediate release:
Free Software Foundation Announces 7th Major Release of GNU Bayonne
===================================================================
Today Dave Sugar, a GNU package maintainer, announced the 7th major
release of GNU Bayonne for developing free software based telephony
application services today.
This new version provides improved support for building digital telephony
services and applications under free software by adding support for CAPI
based BRI cards. An important contributor in this effort has been Kai
Germaschewski, who is better known for his work related to ISDN4Linux and
CAPI4Linux.
GNU Bayonne also supports Voicetronix hardware, which offers low cost
multi-post analog DSP telephony cards. Voicetronix was the first
telephony card vendor to release their drivers and api under the GPL,
supporting the GNU Bayonne project from the start.
We also continue to support the Quicknet telephony cards and the Linux
kernel standard "/dev/phone" interface, as well as analog and some
digital telephony cards from Intel. Work on various other telephony
cards and support for next generation IP based telephony networks are
also in progress.
Using a commodity PC platform running GNU/Linux and multi-line telephony
hardware available from numerous vendors, GNU Bayonne has already been
used to create and deploy commercial voice applications that interface
with the public telephone network. Such applications can include basic
services like Voice Mail, as well as web integrated voice commerce
(v-commerce) and customer relations management. GNU Bayonne offers
scalability to support deployment of carrier grade enhanced services under
free operating systems.
GNU Bayonne and all related non-hardware specific software needed for
building and running it may be found at the GNU ftp site
(http://www.gnu.org/gnu). Individual drivers and telephony hardware
related libraries are provided directly from the respective vendors. All
information about GNU Bayonne may be found at
http://www.gnu.org/software/bayonne.
GNU Bayonne is a standard package in the GNU project and is also part of
the broader GNU and free Telephony effort that is directed under GNUCOMM
(http://www.gnu.org/projects/gnucomm). GNU Bayonne is also used as a part
of GNU Enterprise (http://www.gnue.org). In addition to supporting
GNU/Linux, we are looking to make GNU Bayonne available under FreeBSD and
GNU/HURD.
About the Free Software Foundation:
The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting
computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute
computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as
in freedom) software---particularly the GNU operating system (used widely
today in its GNU/Linux variant)--- and free documentation. The FSF also
helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom
in the use of software. Their web site, located at http://www.gnu.org, is
an important source of information about GNU/Linux. They are
headquartered in Boston, MA, USA
About GNUCOMM, the GNU Telephony Project:
GNUCOMM, a subsystem of GNU, provides free software solutions to common
telecommunications problems. GNUCOMM will free users of voicemail, PBX,
and call-center applications from reliance on the proprietary software
that currently dominates such telephony equipment. The system aims to be
scalable and configurable enough to allow end-users to develop their own
telecommunications systems with little or no special knowledge of
GNUCOMM's internals. GNUCOMM will support both VoIP and PSTN interfaces,
as well as interfaces to existing phone systems. GNUCOMM will scale from
individual user installations to carrier-class sites. The website of
GNUCOMM is located at http://www.gnu.org/software/gnucomm/gnucomm.html.
About GNU Enterprise:
GNUe aims to provide a suite of tools and applications for solving the
specific needs of the enterprise. GNUe will handle the needs of any size
business, including applications for human resources, accounting, customer
relationship management, project management, supply chain and e-commerce.
GNUe is a free software project developed by volunteer software developers
worldwide. The website of GNU Enterprise is
http://www.gnu.org/projects/gnue/.
_______________________________________________
FSF And GNU Press mailing list <info-press(a)gnu.org>
http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-press
Press-release of the Free Software Foundation Europe
For immediate release
"Associazione Software Libero (AsSoLi) becomes associate organization
of the FSF Europe."
(Florence, Italy/Hamburg, Germany)
The FSF Europe is pleased to announce that the Associazione Software
Libero (AsSoLi) is now an associate organization of the Free Software
Foundation Europe.
The AsSoLi has joined the FSF Europe to actively support its
activities and work for Free Software in Europe, beginning in Italy
where the association has already begun a compaign providing
high-quality information for Free Software.
The first and most important task AsSoLi is currently working on is
the new italian law 248/2000, which is damaging to Free Software in
Italy. (http://www.softwarelibero.it/docs/siae-en.shtml)
The AsSoLi will start working together with Free Software Foundation
Europe on relevant topics for Italy and, if possibile, for all of
Europe.
"When we built the basis for this cooperation earlier this year, I
experienced the Italian Free Software community to be very lively and
energetic. We are very glad that AsSoLi wants to work so closely with
the FSF Europe on building a Free Software Europe."
says Georg Greve, President of Free Software Foundation Europe
"I'm really satisfied that the FSF Europe recognized AsSoLi as an
associated organization. We see this fact as the first step of a great
collaboration in the diffusion and spreading in Italy of Free Software
and its philosophy, which determined its born and allow its
development."
says Simone Piccardi, President of Associazione Software Libero
About the Associazione Software Libero:
The Associazione Software Libero is a non-profit association with the
primary goal of spreading Free Software in Italy.
More information: http://www.softwarelibero.it
About the FSF Europe:
The Free Software Foundation Europe is the sister organization of the
Free Software Foundation created 1985 by Richard M. Stallman in the
United States of America.
Principal goals of the FSF Europe are coordination of Free Software
initiatives throughout Europe, providing a Free Software
competence-center for politicians and journalists and infrastructure
for Free Software projects, especially the GNU Project.
Further information about the FSF Europe can be found at
http://fsfeurope.org
Contact:
Europe
Georg C. F. Greve <greve(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +49-40-23809080
Fax: +49-40-23809081
France
Frederic Couchet <fcouchet(a)april.org>
Tel: +33 6 60 68 89 31
Germany
Bernhard Reiter <bernhard(a)intevation.de>
Tel: +49-541 - 335 08 - 33
Italy
Alessandro Rubini <rubini(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +39-0382-529.554 (o .424)
Fax: +39-0382-529.424
Sweden
Jonas Öberg <jonas(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +46-21-144831
Further press contact information is available at
http://fsfeurope.org/press/
Background information by the Free Software Foundation Europe
"FSF Europe presented Free Software at OECD workshop in Tokyo on
invitation of the German Ministry of Economics and Technology"
(Tokyo, Japan) September 12th and 13th 2001, the FSF Europe presented
the advantages of Free Software regarding "Information security in a
networked world" at a OECD conference. Bernhard Reiter, German
chancellor of the FSF Europe, represented the FSF Europe and other
German groups related to Free Software on invitation of the German
Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).
The 15 minute talk titled "Free Software as standard and basis for a
secure Information Technology" took place in the track about "Role of
technical standards" on Thursday morning. It outlined the four
fundamental freedoms for software to be Free Software, stressed the
importance of Free Software for the internet and closed with examples
for Free Software solutions like the GNU Privacy Guard (GPG).
"This successful collaboration between the FSF Europe and the BMWi
shows that the Free Software community is being heard." says Georg
Greve, President of the FSF Europe, "Free Software is a global
phenomenon of international importance, it has to be treated as
such. We will continue strengthening the internation cooperation and
networking."
About the FSF Europe:
The Free Software Foundation Europe is the European sister
organization of the Free Software Foundation created 1985 by Richard
M. Stallman in the United States of America.
Principal goals of the FSF Europe are coordination of Free Software
initiatives throughout Europe, providing a Free Software
competence-center for politicians and journalists and infrastructure
for Free Software projects, especially the GNU Project.
Further information about the FSF Europe can be found at
http://fsfeurope.org
Contact:
Europe
Georg C. F. Greve <greve(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +49-40-23809080
Fax: +49-40-23809081
France
Frederic Couchet <fcouchet(a)april.org>
Tel: +33 6 60 68 89 31
Germany
Bernhard Reiter <bernhard(a)intevation.de>
Tel: +49-541 - 335 08 - 33
Italy
Alessandro Rubini <rubini(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +39-0382-529.554 (o .424)
Fax: +39-0382-529.424
Sweden
Jonas Öberg <jonas(a)gnu.org>
Tel: +46-21-144831
Further press contact information is available at
http://fsfeurope.org/press/